Ofcom awards four new community radio licences

08 December 2011

Ofcom today announces the award of four new community radio licences. Community radio services are provided on a not-for-profit basis focusing on the delivery of specific social benefits to enrich a particular geographical community or a community of interest.

Bradley Stoke Radio will broadcast a local community service focused on serving the tastes and interests of people who live and work in Bradley Stoke, and organisations and businesses that operate in Bradley Stoke.

This station will serve the community of Sherborne and its surrounding parishes with a focus on underserved community members such as young people, home workers, carers and migrant workers for example.

Radio Winchcombe will broadcast a local community service for the people of the Cotswold town of Winchcombe and the surrounding villages.

Licences are awarded for a five-year period.

A statement setting out the main determining factors for the award of the community radio licences referred to above will be published on our website in due course.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

In addition to the licence awards detailed above, Ofcom considered two further applications, but decided not to award a licence to the following groupsNewquay Sound, Newquay, Cornwall EMR-fm, Swindon, Wiltshire

One further application has been rejected due to there being no suitable FM frequency available:GLOSS FM, Thornbury, South Gloucestershire.

Applications for community radio licences are being have been invited on a region-by-region basis. Further details can be found on the Ofcom website.

Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.